Can You Be Hypnotized?

#456 WONDER OF THE DAY

If you ever watch old movies, you may have seen a doctor, magician or evil genius use a swinging pocket watch to hypnotize someone. As the person’s eyes follow the swinging watch back and forth, he slowly falls into a trance.

The hypnotist then suggests that the hypnotized person do something, such as remember a key fact, cluck like a chicken or divulge a secret. Is hypnosis just movie make-believe? Or is it real?

Believe it or not, hypnosis is indeed real. However, it’s quite different from what you may have seen in the movies.

Hypnosis is a trance-like mental state. When hypnotized, you have a high level of focus and concentration on your inner thoughts. You feel relaxed and calm, which helps you block out distractions and focus completely on a certain thought, memory or feeling.

Today, hypnosis is considered a safe alternative form of therapy that may help with a wide variety of conditions. Hypnosis is often referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion. Some of the things people get hypnotherapy for include pain management, weight loss, quitting smoking, reducing stress and improving athletic performance.

There are many techniques for hypnosis. A hypnotherapist usually induces hypnosis — a process called hypnotic induction — by talking slowly in a soothing tone. In addition to using relaxing images to create a sense of safety and well-being, the hypnotherapist usually speaks at length about what is happening and why hypnosis is being used.

Once the subject is in a relaxed trance-like state, the hypnotherapist speaks more directly to the purpose of the hypnosis, such as suggesting ways to manage pain or reduce cravings to smoke or overeat. The hypnotherapist may also suggest visualizing what it will be like to reach a goal.

Hypnotherapy is different from hypnosis performed for entertainment in front of an audience. That type of hypnosis — called stage hypnosis — is done purely for fun and doesn’t necessarily involve the same level of deep relaxation as hypnotherapy.

Because of stage hypnosis and the way hypnosis is portrayed in the movies, there are many misconceptions about hypnosis. Contrary to what many people believe, hypnosis is not like sleep and does not make a person unconscious.

During hypnosis, a person stays fully awake, but often experiences a decreased awareness of what is going on around himself as he focuses intently on one thing. Hypnotized subjects often respond more readily to suggestions, which explains why hypnosis can be effective as a form of therapy to change behavior.

Even though hypnotized people are more open to suggestions, they still retain their free will. Hypnosis does not make people lose control over their behavior. Unlike things you may have seen in the movies, a hypnotist can’t make you do things you don’t want to do.

Wow, I never knew that hypnosis was used for helping someone! I think that it is cool how people are trained to do hypnotherapy as an occupation. I am wondering who first used hypnosis on a person or invented hypnosis. The video was helpful in showing how hypnotherapy works and what the person who is using it does. I thought that hypnosis wasn’t real. Lastly I will make sure to visualize, exercize, and meditate to relieve stress and reach a goal.

Wow, I thought this wonder was amazing. I did not know that you can actually hypnotize somebody! Also I learned that it is not to get somebody to do something, it is to get them relaxed to get them to think of a certain thought, feeling or memory. It is usually done by talking slow and staying on the same pitch to get them to fall into a trance. Then, hypnosis can be used to help a person overcome bad habits like smoking or overeating. So thanks for all the new facts and I know I will keep wondering!

Hello, this is McKenna from Mrs. Caplin’s class. This was a superb wonder that taught me so many new and interesting facts. I have always wondered if hypnosis was real and now I know that it really exists. Some of the facts I learned were that the person being hypnotized is fully awake during the process, there are two different kind of hypnosis, they are hypnotic induction and stage hypnosis, and lastly hypnosis is a form of therapy to focus your mind on achieving your goals. Now whenever I watch a movie with hypnotists, I will know the correct trance that the person should go through instead of the fake trance the actors and actresses go through. Now I have a boatload of questions to ask you guys. What do hypnotists use to put their patients into a trance? Will hypnosis work on everybody that does it? Does stage hypnosis contain different materials than hypnotic induction? How long have hypnotists been treating patients to reach their goals? Does the patient being treated always have their eyes closed during the process of hypnosis? Thanks a lot for the exquisite wonder! I learned so many new facts.
P.S. Maybe if I find out the materials used to hypnotize, I will try it out on my friends or family.

WOW! Those sure ARE a boatload of questions about hypnosis, McKenna! We’ll have to do a LOT more WONDERing to be able to find the answers to them all. Thanks for sharing the great facts you learned by exploring this Wonder of the Day®, though. We really appreciate your comment!

Dear Wonderopolis,
Cool video! I’m happy I learned some new facts! I was way off on my guess, but oh well. I agree with Rahul that tomorrow’s wonder is going to be about dinosaurs. Happy 2012!
XOXOXOXOXO,
Paige

What a GREAT comment you left for us, Leilani! It’s really nice to hear from you! We’re glad you learned some cool new things about hypnosis by visiting this Wonder of the Day®, and we’re super excited about the letters you are going to send to us! Here is the address for Wonderopolis:

I really enjoyed this article. I learned many new things and found it very interesting that you are fully awake during a hypnosis process, you do not do anything you do not want to while you are in hypnosis, and hypnosis can be used to help people. I LOVE this website and love this article.

Two new vocabulary words I learned on this wonder were: divulge and hypnotherapy. Divulge means revealing and hypnotherapy means treatment of a system, disease, or addiction by means of hypnotism. I already knew that hypnosis in movies wasn’t real. And I learned that hypnosis is existent in real life. I know that people can be bad with the power of hypnotism. And then I learned that you are actually in a trance when you are hypnotized. I know that there are different types of hypnosis. I learned that you are totally oblivious to what happens around you during hypnosis. I wonder if hypnosis is the same with animals. And I also wonder how you hypnotize some people. If you hypnotize someone, does that mean they’ll do anything you want them to do?
Three new wonders I want to explore are: How fast can a tank move?, Who is the Unknown Soldier?, and Is there a punch line for every joke?
One question I have after learning all this is: Is hypnosis 100% effective all the time?

We’re not really sure if hypnosis is 100% effective all the time, Team McNeil 14, so we’ll both have to do some more WONDERing about that! We are SUPER excited to hear that you want to explore those three other Wonders! Way to go!

Two new vocabulary words that I learned on this wonder is…
Divulge: To make known.
Induction: Bringing out, in a hypnosis state.
I learned also that hypnosis only last 1 to 3 weeks. I also learned that some people do hypnosis for New Year’s resolution. Just Curious, why do people expect so much about being hypnotized?
Thanks For Listening’
Team Mcneil 17

Thanks for checking out this Wonder about being hypnotized, Team McNeil 17! We really enjoyed hearing the great facts and vocab words you learned! We think some people expect a lot from being hypnotized because they have tried other things to break bad habits or improve their health. Some people need help when these things, and they look to hypnosis to give them the assistance they are seeking.

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Try It Out

Ready to put the power of your mind to work? No, this doesn’t involve hypnosis. But, if you need to reduce stress, improve your attitude or make progress toward a goal, there are ways to use the power of your mind and improved focus — kind of like hypnosis — to improve your life.

Meditate
Clear your mind of everything but the current moment. Try to think of absolutely nothing. As you empty your mind of the cares of your day, relax and focus on right now. Meditation takes lots of practice, but it can help you to get rid of distractions so you can focus on what’s important.

Visualize
If you have a goal you want to achieve, it can help if you relax, meditate and visualize yourself reaching your goal. What will you feel like? How excited will you be? What opportunities will arise when you reach your goal? For many people, seeing themselves succeed — if only in their minds at first — is a critical first step toward real success.

Exercise
If you’re stressed out, your body might need to release some energy. Exercising can help you feel better physically, while also helping you clear your mind mentally. If you treat your body right, the mind often follows right behind.

Sing
Do you like music? Sometimes listening to or singing along with your favorite songs can help you leave behind negative thoughts and refocus your energy on the goals before you.